WORLD

Iran's judiciary chief vowed no leniency Sunday against the wave of unrest that has rocked the country since the death of young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police.

The warning from Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei came after nine nights of protests and street clashes, and it echoed earlier comments by Iran's ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi.

At least 41 people have died so far, mostly protesters but including members of the Islamic republic's security forces, according to an official toll, although human rights groups say the real figure is higher.

The judiciary chief "emphasised the need for decisive action without leniency" against the core instigators of the "riots", the judiciary's Mizan Online website said.

A strong undersea earthquake shook Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties and officials said there was no threat of a tsunami.

Witnesses said many people ran out of their homes to higher ground when the pre-dawn earthquake struck, but they later received text messages saying there was no danger of a tsunami. A massive quake off the coast of Aceh in 2004 triggered a powerful tsunami that killed around 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

Saturday's magnitude 6.2 quake was centered 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) south-southwest of Meulaboh, a coastal city in Aceh province at a depth of 49 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

US President Joe Biden met with the newly elected UK Prime Minister Liz Truss on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly and committed to continue close coordination between both countries on global challenges, including support for Ukraine. "The leaders committed to continuing their governments` close coordination on global challenges, including support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression, addressing challenges posed by China, and securing sustainable and affordable energy supplies," the White House said in a statement about the meeting on Wednesday. 

The dollar surged to a near 20-year peak against the euro on Wednesday as the Federal Reserve enacted another aggressive interest rate hike in response to runaway inflation.

The euro to dollar ratio hit 0.9814 for the first time since October 2002, just months after the currency became the sole legal tender of 12 European Union states.

Wall Street stocks, which had been in the positive territory prior to the 1800 GMT Fed statement, tumbled into the red after the announcement.

All three major indices were in negative territory, with the broad-based S&P 500 down 0.6 per cent at 3,834.10.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday denounced plans by Russian-backed forces to hold referendums in Ukraine, warning that they were yet another escalation in the war brought on by the Kremlin.

"Sham referendums have no legitimacy and do not change the nature of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. This is a further escalation in Putin's war," the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization wrote on Twitter.